Outdoor Pools in London 2026
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One thing we always love in the warmer months is finding a pool or splash park that we can enjoy in the sun. It’s the perfect way to spend the day – being able to paddle or swim whilst having a picnic in the nice weather.
So I thought I’d put together all the open air pools, splash parks, water parks and water play areas in London to give you some inspiration for your next nice weather day out. Most are free to visit and open throughout the summer – and a few are even open all year round.
Outdoor Swimming Pools in London
Tooting Bec Lido – Tooting Bec Rd, London SW16 1RU
Tooting Bec Lido is the UK’s largest freshwater outdoor pool at 91m in length. As well as the main pool, there’s a children’s paddling pool, cafe, and sunbathing area. The pools are unheated and you’ll need to book ahead to guarantee your space.
Opening times: Open 1 May to 30 September, every day with two sessions per day, plus special April swim times to kickstart the season.
Cost: £9.40 adults, £5.20 for children.
London Fields Lido – London Fields West Side, London E8 3EU
London Fields Lido is a 50m Olympic size, heated outdoor swimming pool open all year round and located in Hackney. The swimming pool has lane swimming available all day, swimming lessons for children and adults and swimfit sessions. Facilities also include a café as well as a large sundeck and sunbathing area.
Opening times: Open all year round.
Cost: From £6.40 for adults and £3.50 for children.
Parliament Hill Fields Lido – Parliament Hill Fields, Gordon House Rd, London NW5 1LT
The Parliament Hill Lido is a 60 metre long open-air, chlorinated swimming pool.
Opening times: Open daily.
Cost: From £4.80 per adult and £2.90 per child.
Brockwell Lido – Dulwich Rd, London SE24 0PA
Dating back to 1937, Brockwell Lido is a 50m unheated pool with an outdoor sauna in the winter and terraces for sunbathing. The lido also offers various exercise classes, a gym and health suite and a cafe.
Opening times: Open throughout the year.
Cost: From £9.50 per adult and £6 per child.
Serpentine Lido – Hyde Park, London W2 2UH
An open-air swim is an amazing, invigorating experience, and everyone can dip their toe in The Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park. Enjoy a swim at one of London’s most iconic open air swimming locations and home of the oldest swimming club in Britain.
Opening times: 10am to 6pm, from mid-May to mid-September.
Cost: £8 for adults and £4 for children.
Hillingdon Lido – Gatting Way, Uxbridge UB8 1ES
Hillingdon Lido, formerly known as Uxbridge Lido, is a 50m, Grade 2 listed outdoor lido located within the Hillingdon Sport & Leisure Complex, just off the A40 in West London.
Opening times: Open from April to October.
Cost: £11 for adults and £5.50 for children.
Pools on the Park – Old Deer Park, Twickenham Rd, Richmond TW9 2SF
Pools on the Park in Richmond is your destination for fitness, swimming, and family fun all year round. Dive into the 33-metre heated outdoor pool at for a truly unique swimming experience.
Opening times: Open all year round.
Cost: From £6.90 for adults and £3.20 for children.
Charlton Lido and Lifestyle Club – Hornfair Park, Shooters Hill Rd, London SE18 4LX
The Lido at Charlton Lido and Lifestyle Club is London’s second 50m heated outdoor pool, located in Hornfair Park and heated to 22 degrees.
Opening times: Open all year round.
Cost: From £11.50 per adult and £5.50 per child.
Finchley Lido Leisure Centre – High Rd, London N12 0GL
Finchley’s very own Lido is open throughout the summer months and is 25m in length.
Opening times: From May to September.
Cost: From £8.45 per adult and £5.30 per child.
Oasis Sports Centre – 32 Endell St, London WC2H 9AG
Swim all year round in this 27.5m outdoor heated swimming pool which has recently had a major upgrade. Surrounded by patio areas and a sunbathing deck you can relax and enjoy this hidden oasis, with a sauna overlooking it for added relaxation before or after your swim.
Opening times: Open all year round.
Cost: From £5.80 per adult and £2.30 per child.
Park Road Leisure Centre & Lido – Park Rd, London N8 8JN
A wonderful heated 50m long lido that’s open all year.
Opening times: Open all year round during daylight hours.
Cost: From £9.59 for adults and £5.30 for children.
Hampton Pool – High Street, Hampton, Middlesex TW12 2ST
Hampton Pool, known as South West London’s best kept secret and is right next to Royal Bushy Park. The main pool is 36 metres long and there’s also a learner pool for children and their parents. The pool is heated throughout the year and you can even swim on Christmas day!
Opening times: Open 365 days a year. Check session times here.
Cost: Find swimming prices and subscriptions here.
Outdoor Paddling Pools in London
Hornfair Park Paddling Pool – Charlton Park Lane, London SE7 8PP
Good size rectangular paddling pool that all ages will enjoy.
Opening times: Open throughout the summer months.
Cost: Free
Lordship Recreation Ground Paddling Pool – London N17 6NU
The paddling pool will be open when the weather is good during the summer months and are for children 8 years and under.
Opening times: Open from May to September.
Cost: Free
Ravenscourt Park Paddling Pool – London W6 0UJ
The paddling pool is open daily during the summer and for safety reasons and to maintain water quality, there is a maximum of 30 children per session. Each session is free and will be for 90 minutes. Pre-booking is required.
Opening times: Open daily during the summer from 10am to 5pm until 31 August.
Cost: Free
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Winn’s Common – Winn Common Rd, London SE18 1PH
Good size paddling pool that all ages will enjoy.
Opening times: Open throughout the summer.
Cost: Free.
Ruskin Park Paddling Pool – Denmark Hill, London SE5 8EL
A really good size rectangular paddling pool maintained by volunteers.
Opening times: The paddling pool is usually open from the late May bank holiday weekend until mid September.
Cost: Free.
Rookery Paddling Pool – Streatham Common S, London SW16 3HR
The Streatham Common open-air paddling pool dates back to 1938 – with it being a natural pond before that. It’s a big part of Streatham’s heritage, and the source of many memories for generations of locals.
Opening times: Open from late-May to mid-September.
Cost: Free
Splash Pads in London
Brockwell Park Paddling Pool – Brockwell Park Gardens, London SE24 9BL
Brockwell Park paddling pool is a natural looking water feature that you can paddle in – with rocks to explore and fountains. Great fun for young children.
Opening times: From the last Saturday in May each year until the last weekend in September.
Cost: Free
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Bishops Park – Bishop’s Ave, London SW6 6EA
Waterplay splash park and urban beach for young children to enjoy.
Opening times: Open from May through the summer season.
Cost: Free
Dukes Meadows Recreational Area – Dan Mason Dr, Chiswick, London W4 2SH
Splash park for young children and adventure play for older kids.
Opening times: Open throughout the summer.
Cost: Free
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Kensington Memorial Park – London W10 6LJ
Water play and splash park area that all children will enjoy. Operating on two hourly sessions so cleaning can take place in between.
Opening times: Open throughout the summer months.
Cost: Free
You can read our Kensington Memorial Park review here
Wimbledon Park Splash Pad – London SW19 8AU
Good size splash park that will help all kids cool down this summer!
Opening times: Open June to September.
Cost: Free
Elephant Springs – 21 Ash Ave, Elephant Park, London SE17 1FR
This urban oasis crafted from water, rock and sand is a fun and unique place for the community to enjoy. The water aspects feature water jets, pumps and cascades that will entertain for hours.
Opening times: Open daily.
Cost:
Clapham Common Children’s Water Park – Cock Pond, London SW4 0QZ
Opening times: Open daily through the summer.
Cost: Free
Finsbury Park Splash Park – Finsbury Park, London N4 1BH
The splash play is in the main playground in Finsbury Park. It features an area of water jets which spray from the ground and are great fun for children to play and cool off.
Opening times: Open daily through the summer.
Cost: Free
Victoria Park Splash Pool – Victoria Park Rd, London E9 7HD
The Victoria Park Splash Pool features a shallow pool with fountains, sprays, and water features, giving hours of fun for children during the summer months.
Opening times: Victoria Park Splash Pool is open from 11am – 5pm, every day between Spring Bank Holiday (last bank holiday in May) until the last weekend of the school summer holidays. The splash pool will be turned off if it rains.
Cost: Free
You can read our review of Victoria Park here
Clissold Park Splash Pad – Clissold Park Mansions, Stoke Newington Church St, London N16 9HJ
Visit the fun and free automatic outdoor aqua play for children of all ages. Experience an adventure-filled visit to the interactive splash pad, equipped with an array of features that will spray, splash and soak you!
Opening times: Open seasonally between May – September.
Cost: Free
Outdoor Swimming in London
There are also plenty of places you can go swimming outdoors in London. Here are a few official options but I’m sure there are plenty more wild swimming spots – just make sure you check any guidelines before getting in the water!
Love Open Water – Canary Wharf and London Royal Docks
All locations offer safe open water swimming including lifeguards at every session and regular water quality testing.
Opening times: Canary Wharf closes in the winter and London Royal Docks is open all year round.
Cost: From £9.50 per person depending on venue.
West Reservoir Centre – Green Lanes, Woodberry Down, London N4 2HA
West Reservoir pride themselves on offering the best and safest environment for open water swimming in London. They currently have a number of swim courses ranging from a 100m warm up lap to a 200m loop. Courses available are dependant on weather conditions and water temperature. All of the sessions are fully supervised by the qualified safety team.
Opening times: Open all year round.
Cost: From £13.15 per person.
Hampstead Heath Swimming Ponds – Hampstead Heath, London, N6 6JA
Hampstead Heath has the Hampstead mixed pond to swim in as well as the Highgate mens’ and Kenwood ladies’ pond for individual genders. The ponds are completely natural – not heated, muddy and with ducks for company! The water is deep and opaque and suitable for competent swimmers only.
Opening times: The mens’ and ladies’ ponds are open all year round but the mixed pond closes for the winter.
Cost: From £4.80 for adults and £2.90 for children.
Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre
Opening times: Open throughout the year.
Cost: £8 per person.
Other Outdoor Swimming Options in London
If you want to swim outside regularly, David Lloyd membership could be just the thing. With great facilities for the whole family and an outdoor pools at their Acton Park centre, it’s a great base for so many family activities and quality time together.
There are also outdoor pools at Virgin Active Chiswick Riverside, White City House in Shepherd’s Bush and The Hurlingham Club in Fulham but you’d need membership to access the facilities.
If you’d be happy to enjoy a break away, there are plenty of hotels in London with outdoor pools. There’s art’otel London Battersea Power Station, The Ned London and The Berkeley to name a few. See more hotel options in London with swimming pools here.
Indoor Pools in London
As well as all the outdoor options, if the weather isn’t great then you can’t beat an indoor pool and we have quite a few leisure centres and sports centres with pools in London. Here are some suggestions:
- London Aquatics Centre
- The Castle Centre
- Pools on the Park
- Britannia Leisure Centre
- Ironmonger Row Baths
- Kensington Leisure Centre
- Marshall Street Leisure Centre
- Finchley Lido Leisure Centre
- Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre
- Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
I hope that helps you plan some water based fun this summer. If I’ve missed our your favourite place to swim then please do let me know and I’ll add it in as soon as I can.
If you’re looking for more things to do in London, these articles might help:
- Where to have Afternoon Tea in London
- 17 Pubs with Play Areas in London
- The Best Rooftop Garden Restaurants in London
- Where to play Crazy Golf in London
- Afternoon Tea For Kids London
- Things to do in London on a Rainy Day
